by Franca Storm
"And what did he want in return?"
"Nothing except the money itself once the lounge turned a profit. I didn't know about his weird loan sharking MO until a while down the road. He may have been a little distracted and… uh… placated."
"You were fucking?"
I winced at the memories. "We were actually dating. I was young and stupid and into the whole dark power, mystery man thing."
"Sugar, you still are."
"Well, I'm not stupid about it now, at least. After him, then Haywire, I learned my lesson."
He grinned, lightening the situation for a moment as he jested, "Or, maybe you just got lucky with me."
I rolled my eyes. "Your arrogance knows no bounds, huh?"
He shrugged unapologetically.
I took a beat, then continued with my sordid story, "Eventually, he called in that favor. He wanted a seat at the table."
D frowned. "What table?"
Shit. He was going to flip out. I'd never told him this before. "The Electi. It means chosen or elite."
Nodding, he said, "Yeah, it's Latin."
"You speak it?" I asked, more than a little surprised.
"A dead language? No. I know what The Electi is."
"You do?" It wasn't exactly public knowledge.
"You obviously don't get the extent of Spartan's connections if you're surprised. He's known about your link to them since the background check he ran on you when we started getting closer and I was bringing you around the clubhouse."
I knew it was basically Spartan's duty as president of such a revered and money-making club as Iron Kings to look into anyone who entered the club's orbit, and I was aware he had extensive resources to pull that kind of search off on anybody. But to go deep enough to actually discover my link to The Electi meant he was majorly connected.
"Well, then, you also know that I'm no longer a member."
"Yeah. What we couldn't figure out, though, was how. You don't just walk away from them. Once you're in, there's only one way out."
"I saved one of their lives. I used it to leverage my freedom. I didn't want to be a part of that sort of darkness any longer. The price of that level of power was too high. So, I left, left the city where I was operating and started Excite and its sister clubs."
"How did you come to save someone's life?"
"I shot the person attempting to kill them. Patrick."
His eyes widened. "Jesus."
"Yeah. They wanted to kill him for his attempt on them. I got him out of the city, paid him off what I owed him and more, with the condition that he never come near me again. And that was the last dealing I had with him. It's been around five years since I've heard his name mentioned. I didn't know he'd moved to Lexhaven. I'd figured he was in the gutter after losing everything for crossing The Electi. But, clearly, he's a living phoenix metaphor."
"How did you even get mixed up with them?"
"After my success with the lounge, which you know as Golden Ivy, two years into it, as I was franchising it into the trio of them you know today, Golden Rose and Golden Oak, I was tapped. The Electi has four criteria that must be met. Ingenuity. Passion. Strength. Ambition. They look for people who are different, who think outside the box, who don't crumble under failure, who have the undying drive to succeed in spite of all obstacles. Apparently, I fit the mold."
"Apparently? Damn fucking straight, you do."
I smiled. "Thanks."
"You were in your twenties then. Were you their youngest member?"
"No. There was a nineteen-year-old whiz kid who'd built a financial empire."
"Shit."
"I know." I drew in a breath, then went on, "Anyhow, as soon as Patrick found out, he called in his favor. I managed to organize a meeting, but The Electi weren't impressed. They called him a sleazy moneylender with no vision, riding on the coattails of others. Of course, that's exactly what he was. He'd gotten ahead of himself." I rested my head back against my pillows with a heavy sigh. "Now, though, it seems he might've proved them wrong. And he might be using your brother and the family name to do it. What he's lacked is reputation, high standing. Allying himself—forcefully, of course—with Matt to access the prestige of the Reilly name would solve that."
D slumped back against the headboard. "Fuck," he groused. "This is way more complicated than I'd imagined."
"You'd figured on threatening and maybe beating the hell out of whoever was messing with him, right?"
"Pretty much, yeah. Jesus Christ. Why would he do this?"
"The same reason anyone gets mixed up with the likes of Patrick Walsh. Desperation."
"I get him dropping out of law school. He wanted to make a name for himself outside of the family. He wanted to break their vise-like grip on him. But that couldn't have caused this level of desperation and bad judgment. There has to be more to it."
I reached out and stroked his arm, trying to comfort him. "We'll find out."
He took my hand and gave it a squeeze, his expression pained as he told me, "I think you should head back home."
"What? Why?"
"With all of these revelations tonight, I get what we're up against and I don't want you getting pulled back into that darkness and danger."
"I appreciate that, but you know how well I can take care of myself." I wrapped my arms around him, holding him close. "Besides, you need me more than we realized before."
He thought on it for a moment, took a beat, then gave a reluctant nod. "All right. But if things take a bad turn, I want you gone ASAP. Got it?"
"Yes. I promise, D. But it'll be okay. We'll handle it."
"Yeah," he murmured. "We'll take care of it."
He didn't sound convinced, though.
He was worried. And to be honest, so was I.
A very difficult road lay ahead of us.
This was the big leagues.
12
~Deviant~
THE LIGHTS TURNED RED.
I tensed as a bunch of kids, hoodies obscuring their faces, took an interest in my Harley. They slowed down as they crossed the road right in front of where I was stopped at the lights. I saw the glint of metal emerging from the sleeve of a blond kid. A flip knife from what I could make out. Small-time criminals looking for trouble. Another lot. I'd seen way too many since we'd ridden into the downtown core of Lexhaven.
The place had gone to hell. It'd deteriorated big time in the sixteen years I'd been gone. Even watching the news reports on the flatscreen in our hotel room for just five minutes had made that much clear. But seeing was believing, for sure. When I'd lived here, the bad part of the city had been relegated to the east side of the downtown core. Now it seemed to have spread all over the core. Derelict buildings. Eviction notices, too many to count, on homes and businesses. Places that used to be safe to walk at night now crawling with hookers and dealers, both just dealing their shit right out in the fucking open without a worry for the law. It seemed like the place had just been abandoned by the cops and the city officials who were supposed to safeguard it.
And then there were these kids. Those with an eye on me and my bike, for one. Wannabes. They walked with an arrogant swagger like they were the shit. But their eyes told a different story. There was no conviction there. Just thinly-veiled fear. They were the kind that were out of their depth.
If I'd been wearing my cut, I was sure they wouldn't have risked looking twice at me. But I was on a private, personal mission. I couldn't be in club colors and risk implicating Iron Kings.
So, I went another way, doing something just as effective to make them think twice and back off. I didn't want shit going south, because getting into a brawl in the middle of the downtown core right out in the open was exposure I really didn't need.
My eyes making contact with the one at the forefront, their obvious leader, I lifted the side of my leather jacket and fingered the butt of my piece.
Sure enough, the guy's eyes widened, and he nudged his friends and shook his head. Then they were gone,
the threat neutralized. One, anyway. Who knew how many more would try their hand before we made it to our destination? I wasn't gonna take any chances.
On high alert, adrenaline pumping through my veins, I scanned our surroundings with an eagle-eye as the lights turned green, and we rode deeper into the core.
I felt Sky's arms tighten around me. She was reacting to the same things that I was. The woman had some major street smarts about her. I knew that she trusted me, that she knew she was safe with me. But she didn't rely solely on that. She had some tricks of her own, some real skills on defending herself and keeping safe. She'd had to with the life she'd led, especially the darker days she'd lived through with the likes of Walsh and The Electi.
Through all of the distrust, betrayal, and darkness she'd experienced, she was still able to open herself up to me, to give so much. She was a hell of a woman. Now that she was officially mine, I was gonna make damned sure I did everything in my power to live up to the faith that she'd put in me.
I made a right turn, following my GPS, on the route to Matt's restaurant. The whole place was a different breed now. There was so much I didn't recognize. Hell, I felt like a damned tourist. I was so far from being a part of it.
My earpiece buzzed in my ear and I tapped it to open the call.
Spartan's rumbling tone sounded down the line. "Brother, got your message. You all right?"
"Just getting started," I told him.
"I'm working on getting the intel. I can tell you that Walsh has been underground for a bit. I gotta dig deeper to pull shit on him. It's gonna take some time, so until then, keep your powder dry."
"Yeah. I've got no plans to confront that shithead yet. We're en route to Matt's right now."
"Good. See what you can get from him first."
"Will do. Thanks for the assist, Spartan."
"No worries. Watch your six, brother."
"Always."
We disconnected, just as I made the turn onto another main street in the downtown core. This neighborhood was better than what I'd seen so far. A bunch of middle of the road restaurants situated along the strip, young professionals walking about, a couple of apartment buildings and homes a little ways behind the strip that weren't actually in complete disarray.
I spotted the fluorescent green sign of Wild Creek Bistro and made the turn into the parking lot. In spite of everything, the name of the place had me smiling. Wild was the nickname my brother had given me in our teen years. I'd been restless, always in search of something more, which had caused me to get into a few scrapes, to push the boundaries of everything and everyone. I didn't know if that had anything to do with why he'd given his restaurant that name. I'd find out soon enough and I'd know whether this reunion was going to be as brutal as the one with my parents.
Pulling off to the far corner of the empty lot, I parked, then pulled off my helmet and swung my leg over my bike, dismounting. I turned and held my hand out to Sky to help her off. She took it, her spike-heeled boots scraping on the asphalt. She pulled off my spare helmet and shook her hair out, whipping it from side to side like something out of a hair commercial. It was fucking hot as hell seeing her with my helmet in hand, wrapped up in a leather jacket and those cock-teasing jeans of hers.
"What?" she asked with a chuckle as she hung the helmet off the remaining free handlebar.
I grinned. "This whole biker chick look is really working for you. Hell, it's working for me."
She stepped into me and grasped the lapels of my leather jacket. Tugging me to her, her eyes burning with fire, she said, "Well, if it's turning you on that much, maybe we'll do a little role playing later. I'll keep the boots and the jacket on." She wiggled her eyebrows. "And the thong."
Jesus. "Tease."
She laughed, then let me go and stepped back, switching to business mode in a split second.
"I guess your mom was right," she commented, as we both scanned the lot, empty aside from a Range Rover. "He's here way after closing, in the early hours of the morning."
"Yeah," I murmured. Mom had told me that Matt stayed late every Friday night to catch up on paperwork. I hadn't been sure that the intel had been correct, given how evasive she'd claimed him to be.
I frowned at the black Range Rover with tinted windows. Not exactly what I'd expected my little brother to be driving. Matt had always been about the flash. Sports cars basically. It was way out of character for the guy I'd known.
Then again, it had been sixteen years. People changed. I had.
I drew in a centering breath, then said, "Let's do this."
Sky nodded and slipped her hand into mine.
As we approached the double entrance doors, they opened and a bulky guy in a cheap suit stepped out. His expression fierce, his stance bordering on aggressive, he barked, "Wild's closed."
"We're not here to eat," I barked right back. "We're here to see the owner."
His eyes narrowed. I didn't miss his hand brushing the bulge at his hip, his attempt to be discreet about it failing miserably. He was clearly some kind of muscle, Matt's bodyguard, it looked like. But he was showing his inexperience. For one, coming right out to meet us was foolish. It exposed him and put him in a vulnerable, open position. He should have stayed tight to the doors.
"There's no meeting on the books."
"I'm his brother."
He scoffed. "Nice try. His brother doesn't live around here. He hasn't for years."
"I know. I'm him. Tell Matt I'm here."
The guy smirked snidely, then stepped up to me. Damn, he really had a death wish. He was fucking lucky I had to abide by club code, even when on leave. I couldn't just beat on assholes, because they'd pissed me off or disrespected me. It had to be in self-defense and an absolute last resort.
"Nah, I'm not gonna do that," he told me.
"Why's that?" I gritted out.
He looked me up and down. "You could be one of Rebel's guys."
"Seeing as though I've got no fucking idea who that is, it's not possible. Let's move this along now, all right?"
I stepped forward. His hand slammed against my chest, trying to push me back.
He failed, merely jarring me a bit. And enflaming my anger.
The next thing I knew, Sky was stepping into the fray.
"Let's cool it down, shall we, boys?" she cooed. She batted her eyelashes at the guy and slid her hand seductively down his arm until she reached his bicep, then gave it a squeeze.
I clenched my fists, my grip white-hot as I watched her work her charms. I knew it was the right tactic, but it was a bitch watching her even fake that kind of shit with another man.
She drew him off to the side and spoke low, but animatedly, employing her fake girly giggle, thrusting her tits out, full-on flirting. The woman could charm the boxers off anybody.
I waited impatiently, clenching and unclenching my fists over and over.
When she finally broke away from him, she gave me a discreet wink. I watched him take a breath, then walk back up to me. With a chin lift, he said, "Just let me give him a heads up and I'll send you right on in."
With that, he headed on back inside. I eyed Sky curiously. "What did you say?"
She shrugged. "What I needed to get us passage without you beating the shit out of him."
I studied her. There was a darkness in her eyes, one I'd seen a few times before. I wasn't one to judge. After all, I'd done morally-questionable things with the club over the years, things that had straddled the line between good and evil. But I didn't like it from her. I didn't like it for her. I was aware of how hard she'd worked and how she'd struggled to claw herself out of that darkness. I didn't want her getting pulled back into the undertow.
I needed to keep a close eye on her. If it was just a one-off, I'd let it slide. But, if that part of her reemerged again, I'd put an end to her involvement in all of this and send her home.
"What?" she asked, shoving her hands into her jacket pocket and looking uncharacteristically self-conscious. It was b
ecause she knew, she knew I'd seen the dark surface in her.
I looked away, sparing her. "Nothing."
She seemed ready to push it, when movement by the doors caught my eye. Expecting to see the bodyguard, it was more than just a mild shock to the system when, instead, I saw my little brother standing there.
"Luke?" he eked out.
The question there was like a sucker punch.
Had I changed that much that it actually had him questioning whether I was his brother?
Fuck. It'd been so long.
I swallowed hard. "Yeah, Matt. Yeah, it's me."
13
~Deviant~
HE HADN'T CHANGED MUCH.
At least, not on the surface.
He still had that same spiky, gelled hair, the same color as mine. He was more filled out than the last time I'd seen him, sporting the designer gear, clearly still the label-whore he'd always been. His deep-blue Armani suit spoke for itself. I didn't miss the Rolex around his wrist either.
Aside from his appearance, though, there was something that had changed a great deal in him. I couldn't quite put my finger on its source. Yet. But, he was weary, that much was obvious from the dark circles under his amber eyes and the fact that the light that'd always been there sparking in them was gone. He wasn't the light-hearted, joker he had been. It seemed more than just age. Something had done this to him. Or, more likely from what I already knew about the situation, someone.
Matt caught me eyeing his watch and grinned. "A knockoff." He straightened his tie, then gestured the length of his suit. "Just like this."
Color me shocked. Yeah, something was off all right. Even more than what we currently knew about the bad situation he'd gotten himself into.
Sky cocked an eyebrow. "It's really good work, so hard to tell."
He shrugged. "I know a guy."
Yeah, apparently, he knew one too many guys these days.
After a couple of beats, the nonsensical small talk finally fell to the wayside.
We'd fallen into it the moment Matt had led us into his back office. Almost ten minutes had gone by and we'd hardly taken a breath between the three of us. It was overcompensation and a reaction to the shock and awkwardness of seeing one another again after so many years apart.